


now I can't complain

by apatternedfever



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, Not Beta Read, Will and Abigail adopted siblings, Will and Beverly friendship, neither of which is the focus, this doesn't really have a focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-23
Updated: 2013-11-23
Packaged: 2018-01-02 10:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1055785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apatternedfever/pseuds/apatternedfever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will isn't sure what compels him to take Dr. Lecter's abnormal psych class, but he's pretty sure it's a mistake. [College AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	now I can't complain

The truth is, Will isn't sure what compels him to sign up for Dr. Lecter's abnormal psychology class. Part of it, he guesses, is the man himself; Lecter has been one of the most interesting teacher Will's had yet in his two years of college, and when he acknowledges a student's comment about him getting off-topic with an admittance that he's worse in his abnormal psych class -- well, Will can't help but be curious. The discussions that were never on the syllabus of Lecter's psych class are the most interesting, both for the man's insights and the way he prompts debate from the class, and Will even finds himself talking voluntarily during class discussions.

Abigail just raises her eyebrows at him when she steals his schedule from his bag, tilting her head in the way that comments without ever having to say anything. Will shrugs, mumbling something about being curious to the textbook he's unwrapping.

"You're going to regret it by midterms," she predicts, one hand toying with the knot of her scarf. Four years since his father took her in as a foster, three since he decided to adopt her, and he's only seen her without a scarf once. Once was enough to show him why she never takes it off, even in the summer, even in the house.

"I'll drop," he answers simply. Abigail shrugs a shoulder, accepting his answer, and takes the textbook from his hands to examine it, as he expected. He's not sure why she pays so much attention to his work, whether she's just trying to figure out what she's going to do when she joins him next year, or if she's planning on following in his footsteps and netting herself a few easy As off of his experience.

He's pretty sure Lecter's never given an easy A in his career -- Will's a pretty solid B student, and he struggled to manage that much in the man's class -- but he still lets her take the textbook from him without comment.

And come midterms, he's still there. Even though he's thought about dropping since the first class, when Lecter's introduction practically sounded like a love letter to mental illness, and Beverly Katz leaned over in their back row seats to murmur, "I've never heard someone sound so happy about depression before." (It's a dumb joke, but Will still smiles, eyes cast towards her desk. Bev's good at getting him to smile, ever since she sat next to him the first day of their chem class and spent the entire class speaking in Doors lyrics, nodding at his t-shirt at his first confused look.)

Every class before the withdrawal deadline, he's considered dropping; even afterwards, knowing the mark it'll put on his record, he still thinks about it. Through the midterm, he thinks about it. Sliding into his seat the day they get grades back, sure he's managed a C on another one of Lecter's midterms, he thinks about it again, until he picks up his scantron on the way out and nearly stops in the doorway at the sight of the grade.

"All right!" He barely feels Bev peeking over his shoulder or slapping him on the back, still staring at the perfect score. "Good going."

He turns to look back at Lecter, who meets his eyes before Will can drop his, giving a small nod and a smile. "Good job, Mr. Graham."

And that's when Will resigns himself to the fact that he'll be seeing the class through to the end.


End file.
